Means for loading oil on vessels and discharging oil therefrom



MEANS FOR LOADING OIL 0N VESSELS AND DISCHARGING OIL THEREFROM FiledOct. 8, 1958 May 16, 1961 A. M. ATKINSON ETAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIE-3.5

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2,984,198 MEANS FOR LOADING OIL ON VESSELS AND DISCHARGING on. THEREFROMMay 16, 1961 A. M. ATKINSQN ETAL 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 8, 19582,984,198 MEANS FOR LOADING OIL N VESSELS AND DISEHARGlNG 01L THEREF ROMAlan Magnay Atkinson, Sunrise, Darras Road, Ponteland,

Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, and Marinas L. Schat, 13

Aldenham Ave, Radlett, England Filed Oct. 8, 1958, Ser. No. 766,006 3Claims. (Cl. 114-74) This invention relates to means operativelyassociated with tankers for loading and discharging oil.

It is well known that a tanker comprises a plurality of 011 tanks belowits main deck, and it is common practice for each tank to be providedwith, in addition to a standpipe opening close to the tank bottom andextending to a level above the main deck, a covered manhole alsosituated some distance above said deck. The standpipes are usuallyinterconnected by valved conduits, so that all tanks can be loaded ordischarged, if desired, through one standpipe, or so that a restrictednumber of stand pipes can be employed by means of special portequipment. In the absence of such equipment, use is often made of one ormore hoses or other flexible pipes each having one end connected to astandpipe and suspended from and held in position by a derrick or thelike.

It will be understood that such hoses sulier severely from wear andtear, especially where they engage bulwarks, and that, as a consequence,damage may occur.

The invention, which has for its object the avoiding of said wear andtear as far as possible, contemplates that near the bulwark are mounted,in addition to a deckcrane, one or more trough-shaped cradles adaptedfor free swinging movement about a longitudinal axis and each adapted tosupport and secure a hose or the like out of engagement with the bulwarkindependently of the associated crane. Owing to said hinge, the cradleis adapted for self-adjustment athwartships, so that a hose or the like,suspended from said crane, is prevented from grazing the bulwark.

In accordance with the invention, the pillar of a curved crane jibcarries a worm wheel meshing with a self-braking worm rotatable inbearings of the stationary crane foot, said worm being provided with acrank handle by means of which an attendant can impart rotary movementabout a vertical axis to the jib.

Furthermore, the rope from which the hose is to be suspended can, inaccordance with the invention, be passed from a sheave in the head ofthe overhanging portion of the crane jib over a sheave mounted at thejunction between said portion and the pillar, thence vertically downalong the axis of rotation of the jib and over a sheave mounted near thebottom of the crane foot, and thence to a winch secured to the foot. Bymeans of said winch the rope can be hauled in and payed out.

In order that the invention may be well understood, reference is had tothe accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a tanker, provided with deckcranes and cradles in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of part of said tanker drawn on an enlarged scale,

Fig. 3 is a side view corresponding to Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a section along line lV-lV in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a section along line VV in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1, the numeral 6 indicates covered manholes of tanks situatedbelow the main deck. The numerals 7 and 8 designated deck-cranes andcradles provided, respectively, in accordance with the invention. Thestationary pipes opening close to the tank bottoms are indicated by 9 inFigs. 2 and 3.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the stationary foot 7a of 2,984,198 PatentedMay 16, 1961 the crane 7 is mounted some distance inwardly from the edge10 of the main deck 11. Rotatable in said foot is the pillar 7b of thejib, whose overhanging portion 7c is provided in its head with a sheave12 for the hoisting rope 13. The latter is passed over a sheave 14mounted at the junction between the overhanging portion and the pillar,and thence over a sheave 15 mounted near the bottom of the foot 7a tothe drum of a winch 16 adapted to be operated by means of a crank handle16a.

Fitted to the pillar 7b is a worm wheel 17, which meshes with a selfbraking worm 18 operated by a crank handle 18a.

Mounted close to the bulwark 10 and on either side of the crane 7 areone or more cradles, each formed by a semi-circular trough 8 adapted tosupport a hose independently of the crane and provided with clampingmeans 8a (Fig. 4) for preventing a hose thus supported from lengthwisemovement relative to the cradle. As stated hereinbefore, the cradle isself-adjusting, owing to its being hinged about a longitudinal axis to asuitable bracket 8b (Fig. 5) secured to the deck 11.

Fig. 2 shows a hose 19 suspended from the rope 13 and supported by acradle 8 so as to clear the bulwark 10 of the ship. The inboard end ofsaid hose is connected, by suitable coupling means, with a standpipe 9,so that by means thereof oil can be supplied to, or withdrawn from saidtank.

It will be understood that the hose referred to above could be replacedby a plurality of pipe sections interconnected by flexible couplings,and that the cradle, instead of being hinged about one axis extending inlongitudinal direction, could also be mounted in its bracket by auniversal joint, so as to also be rotatable about a vertical axis. Theseand other modifications fall within the scope and the spirit of thepresent invention.

What we claim is:

1. A vessel comprising a deck, a plurality of tanks adapted for storingliquid loads below said deck, standpipes connected with the tanks andextending upwardly from the deck, a plurality of hoses detachablyconnected to the standpipes, a crane on said deck for selectivelyhandling said hoses for connecting the same to the standpipes, and aplurality for trough-shaped cradles each including a clamp for holdingone of said hoses with the latter connected to one of said standpipes,said cradles being tiltably mounted on said deck adjacent the edgethereof so as to hold the hoses clear of the side of the vessel.

2. A vessel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said crane is rotatable andcomprises a pillar including a worm wheel, a worm engaging said wheeland a crank coupled to the worm for rotating the same.

3. A vessel as claimed in claim 2 wherein the crane comprises anoverhang connected to said pillar, a foot rotatably accommodating saidpillar, sheaves on the overhang, at the junction of the overhang andpillar and at the bottom of said foot respectively, a winch on saidfoot, and a cable extending from said winch along said sheaves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,024,507 Graham Apr. 30, 1912 1,614,316 Petersen Jan. 11, 19271,775,846 Blaw Sept. 16, 1930 2,495,995 Warrens et al. Jan. 31, 19502,735,270 Collins Feb. 21, 1956 2,771,617 Brackx Nov. 27, 1956 2,839,021Patterson June 17, 1958 2,861,532 Ault Nov. 25, 1958

